According to the land registry, about a third of the floor space standing in Novelda was built in the 1960s and 1970s, the years when the stone trade was growing fast. A lot of those flats have had new kitchens, new windows and new floors since. The cylinder in the front door is often the one thing nobody thought about.
You do not need to take anything apart to get a fair idea of how old it is.
Five things to look at from the landing
- Does the cylinder stand proud of the door? Hold a ruler against the door or its plate. A cylinder that sticks out several millimetres is easy to grip with a tool and snap. Newer fittings sit flush, or behind a guard plate.
- What does the face say? Modern security cylinders usually have a maker’s name and often a small symbol or star marking. A plain brass face with nothing on it tells you little, which is itself a hint.
- What does the key look like? A flat key with simple cuts along one edge usually belongs to an older, basic cylinder. Keys with dimples, side grooves or a moving element belong to more recent ones.
- How does it feel? A key that needs jiggling, or that has to be pulled back a little before it turns, means worn pins.
- Does anyone know? Ask the previous owner, the landlord, or the neighbours on the same landing: in some blocks the doors were all fitted at once.
Why age matters
An old cylinder is not a problem just because it is old. It becomes one when it is worn, when it can be snapped because it stands proud, or when nobody knows how many keys are around. In a flat that has had several owners or tenants, that last point is usually true.
What the swap actually involves
Usually nothing more than the cylinder itself: the lock body inside the door stays. The new one is measured to the thickness of the door so it sits flush on both sides, and an anti-snap model is the sensible minimum for a street-facing door. If the door also has an old multipoint or mortice lock that drags, that is looked at on the same visit.
Related notes
Older still, the houses of the centre have timber doors and mortice locks a century old; see opening a period door without marking the wood. If an old cylinder has already let you down once, keep the note on being locked out with something on the hob in mind. When you are ready, the work itself is described under lock changes for cylinders that have turned since the 1970s.